I once assumed that the most important aspect of the cake of instruction that I baked for my kids each year was the instructional content, the language – all sorts of information about the language. The frosting was merely the human interaction with the kids, which I always thought of as secondary. The cake was the main thing, right?
Now, I see that I misunderstood that. The cake – all that stuff about the language – I should never have perceived as more important than the frosting – the human interaction piece. The frosting – playing in the language so that the kids’ focus is not on the words but on their meaning – can no longer be considered as separate from the instructional content. Rather, it is the instructional content.
Imagine an entire cake made out of frosting. In language acquisition, that means mastery. It’s all about play*. In the old mindset, the teacher works at a job as a deliverer of instructional services and the kids walk out feeling hungry and not real bright. But in the new way of doing things, the teacher learns to play. The kids walk out of those classes smiling and laughing at how clever and smart they are. I like that.
*https://benslavic.com/blog/2009/11/05/play/